Of Machines and Operas
by PhantomoftheShadows
Summary: Two friends try a new machine that is intended to take them to the Dominican Republic, but things go wrong. EOW MOC Story better than it sounds. R&R Please!
1. Prologue

**I bid you all welcome to my story. I really appreciate the fact that you have decided to read this. I just have a few comments to make first. If you really despised my story, please don't review. Constructive criticism is welcome, but complete, full out flaming is not.**

**I remain your most humble and Obedient Servant,**

**Phantom of the Shadows**

**Prologue- Safe?!**

"Hand me the wrench will you," came a muffled voice from underneath a large metal structure.

Nick handed the wrench over to his friend. He stared apprehensively at the structure before him. For months now his friend had been working on this contraption. It was fairly large on the outside, but there was a room on the inside that would fit 4 people. His friend slid out from under her creation and stood up, wiping her hands on her pants and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She stood next to Nick and stared admiringly at her newly finished project. There were several wires that ran from the machine to a back-up generator, as well as several bright flashing buttons.

"So Nick, what do you think?" she asked looking at her friend.

"Um… Anna, what exactly is this thing?"

Annawhen gave a dramatic sigh before striding up to her machine and placing a hand delicately on the side.

"This my friend will be the newest type of transportation. It should be able to take us anywhere in the world."

"Anna, this is all theoretical. It is quite possible that this will not work," Nick reminded her.

"Oh Nick, stop being such a kill joy! I'm going to test this out now. I assure you that no harm will come to us."

"Us? Oh no! I'm not being your guinea pig, thank-you very much! I rather enjoy being alive and in one piece."

"Nick, I've installed safety mechanisms throughout the machine. Plus, I'm going to come with you!"

"Anna, it's night-time and there's a thunderstorm raging outside! What happens if there's a power shortage?"

"That's why I installed the back-up generator! It's completely safe and harmless. Just think of all that stardom and publicity you could get for being one of the first people who travelled this way!"

Nick looked uncertainly at the machine. Seeing that her friend needed just a little more persuasion, Annawhen gave it one last try.

"Come on Nick, we'll go to the Dominican Republic. Nice sunny war beaches and no rain."

Nick gave a dry chuckle. "Ah so that's why you told me to bring a suitcase of clothes… Oh alright, lets get this over with."

Annawhen started to flip switches and press some of the numerous buttons on the machine. She gave a small triumphant smile.

"That's a good man Nick! Bring your suitcase over and place it into the chamber inside. Could you also get mine? It's over by the window. Thanks."

After a few minutes more of pushing the buttons, Annawhen announced that they were ready for departure. She had, by this time, become very excited and was falling into her old habit of quoting movies and TV shows. They walked into the inner chamber of the machine and Nick grabbed the luggage. Annawhen turned around to face Nick.

"Ready?" she asked. When Nick nodded, a huge smile broke out on Annawhen's face. "All right then, off we go! Dominican Republic here we come! Beam us up Scottie!" And with that she pushed the final button. The machine whirred and clicked as it came to life. Just as the machine was in the process of sending Nick and Annawhen to their destination, lightning hit the wires and reached the machine. The machine began to spark and short circuit before the screen started flashing "Error!"

"Anna, what's going on?" Nick yelled above the noise.

Annawhen was frantically trying to abort the trip, but it was too late. "Nick, hang on!" she yelled before they were thrown forward into darkness.

Annawhen slowly got up off the muddied ground and looked around. It was still raining outside and the area was deserted. Not finding Nick close by, Anna started to panic.

"Nick? Nick where are you?" she bellowed into the storm.

Hearing a faint groan, Annawhen ran towards the sound. Not to far off she found her friend curled into the foetal position on the ground, groaning. Annawhen stared in shock at her friend. His chocolate brown hair was plastered to his head, his face was covered in mud and, on closer examination, his left wrist had been sprained. As Annawhen helped him up, he shot his friend a glare.

"Oh yeah, it's completely safe! Bullshit! Anna, this isn't the Dominican Republic! Where in hell are we?"

Annawhen hung her head in shame. "Nick, I'm really sorry. I was positive that it would work. Come, let's get out of the rain, this isn't healthy."

Nick nodded and the two friends slowly made their way towards a large structure. As they neared the building, Annawhen stopped dead in her tracks, staring up at the building in shock and wonder.

"Um Nick? I think I know where we are," stated Annawhen in a small voice. Lifting a shaking hand, she pointed towards the script carved into the stone above the doorway. Nick raised his eyes to the script, having a hard time reading it. As the lightning streaked across the sky, Nick was able to read the inscription.

_Opera Populaire._

Nick turned to face Annawhen and smiled. "Well, at least we know where we are now. We're in Paris!"


	2. Chapter 1

**I know you all want to probably Punjab me. My apologies for the long wait, I've been incredibly busy thanks to the insane amount of projects that all seven assignments like to give at once. However, when I went to see the **_**Phantom of the Opera**_** musical last Wednesday (got the cast signature and got to hug the Phantom… sry, I'm still excited about that), I decided it was time to get back on the story. Thanks for sticking with me through the unbelievably long wait.**

**I remain your humble and obedient servant,**

**Phantom of the Shadows**

Chapter 1

"You know Anna, Paris is the next best thing to the Dominican," Nick told his friend as they stood on the stops of the Paris Opera House.

Anna was just coming out of her shocked state. With a start, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her money. As the friends looked at the money, they noticed that the currency had been changed to the French one.

Nick looked up in shock. "How…"

"I installed a mechanism in the machine that would automatically change the currency of our money to that which is used in our destination." Anna placed her hand back into her pocket, looking for her credit cards. To her dismay, they were not there.

"Shit! Nick, my credit cars are gone! Damn it! Things can't get any worse!"

Suddenly it dawned on Nick that things had indeed gotten worse.

"Anna, um… hate to break it to you but, our suitcases are gone."

The darkness was suddenly filled with such vehement cursing that it would make a sailor blush and paint curl. Nick knew better than to try and interfere and stop his friend. This was her way of venting without taking it out on another human being. Her voice projected easily across the square and over the thunderstorm. After a few minutes, she calmed down and sat down on the steps.

"Oh Nick, I'm so sorry for all this, I really am. I had absolutely no idea I'd get us into such a big mess."

"Anna, don't worry about it. We both have enough money to buy things with and then we can maybe get a job to earn money."

Anna began to perk up a bit. "Nick, I do declare that you are the only one out of both of us who has a functioning brain." She stood up and straightened her soaked shirt. Turning towards Nick, she gave him a small smile. "And once I get enough money, I'm going to watch a performance from Box Five!"

Nick began to laugh. His friend had been obsessed with the story of _The Phantom of the Opera_ since she was a teenager. As Nick looked, he noticed that Anna's eyes had started to sparkle with excitement. Her excitement was contagious. Nick gave a last chortle before he began to sing. "_Why so silent good messieurs?"_

Anna's smile grew wider and she took up the song. "_Did you think that I had left you for good? Did you miss me good messieurs, I have written you an opera! Here I bring the finished score, _Don Juan Triumphant" She stopped singing suddenly and peered intently at the shadows. Her eyes grew wide before she shouted "Nick, hand to your eyes!"

Nick had barely gotten his hand to the level of his eyes before a rope fell over his head. The rope settled around his arm and neck, and pulled him backwards. Nick fell heavily, smacked his head on the stone floor and lost consciousness.

Anna sprang forward, trying to get to Nick before the figure in the darkness did. As she reached her friend, she pulled out her pocketknife and cut the rope.

"Who are you?" Anna asked the figure. Lightning streaked through the sky and Anna saw a white mask staring down at her out of the shadows. Ana gave a sharp intake of breath. "Bonsoir Monsieur le Fantome," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

He had been quite restless since returning Christine to the surface and sending his letters to the two fools who called themselves managers and that insolent Vicomte. The day had worn on and had only added to his agitation. They had refused to meet his demands! He vowed vengeance and spent the rest of the day going about the Opera House, scaring the ballet rats and chorus girls and creating minor accidents throughout. As the evening came on, he had tried to compose more for his _Don Juan Triumphant_ masterpiece. However, he couldn't compose for visions of Christine tearing off his mask came unbidden to his mind. After a few hours of failing to compose a thing, he picked up his fedora and cape and stormed out of his layer. He made his way to the street level and stepped out into the Rue Scribe.

It was pouring rain outside, but he hardly noticed. As he made his way to the front of his palace, he heard voices. He stepped deeper into the shadows and slunk around the corner, seeing two people standing on the front steps. He heard a male voice say something that seemed to greatly disturb the companion. What came next shocked him. Yes, it came as a great surprise to him, since even phantoms are allowed to be surprised. The other figure began to curse so vehemently and so loudly that it made him cringe. It was also at this time that the Phantom discovered that he cursing figure was a female. He found it odd that a female not only knew such language, but also was dressed in a certain sort of trousers that only men were supposed to wear. He mad his way closer to the figures that were encroaching upon his territory. As he neared the figures (while still out of sight), their conversation drifted over to him.

"…you are the only one out of the both of us who has a functioning brain… And once I get enough money, I'm going to watch a performance from Box Five!"

The Phantom's anger started to boil again as the male started to laugh at the remark. Take his box! How dare she even think it! That box was his and his alone, and he was not about to allow these two idiots to occupy it. The Phantom was so lost in his private thoughts that he missed the first line that was sung. However, when the female started to sing, her voice drew his attention and he began listening to the lyrics.

"_I have written you an opera! Here I bring the finished score, _Don Juan Triumphant"

The Phantom gave a sudden start as he heard the title of his opera. His anger began to overflow, how did these two even know about his opera? He decided to get ride of these two fools and just as he threw his Punjab lasso (which he carried on him at all times), he heard the female yell something to her companion, who then raised his hand, thereby making the lasso ineffective. However, the Phantom gave a sharp tug and watched as his victim fell to the ground and lost consciousness. As the girl started forward, he noticed the knife that she had pulled from her pocket. He watched her cut through his lasso and then looked at him. As she asked him who he was, the lightning streaked across the sky, revealing his white mask. He watched with some satisfaction as the girl's eyes grew wide and her hands trembled.

"Bonsoir Monsieur le Fantome."  
His satisfaction evaporated and was replace by a small feeling of uneasiness.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello to all my readers, I have another update. Sorry for the long wait. I was unable to go anywhere near a computer for the past few months. However, I have a request. This authoress happens to have slight self-confidence issues, and may not continue the story if I receive no reviews. I just want to make sure that this story is being read, and that I'm updating for people out there. It doesn't matter if I'm updating for just two or three people, but I need to know if I even have that many. Enough with my rambling, on to the next chapter!

**I remain your obedient servant,**

Phantom of the Shadows 

Chapter 2

Thoughts flashed through Anna's mind as she stared at the masked figure before her. At first she thought that this was some elaborate hoax. But, as she looked around at the buildings and streets she realized that everything was significantly different. There were no cars in the streets and the roads were made with cobblestones that looked less old. This meant that the figure in front of her was the true and bonafied Phantom of the Opera. Anna was not sure whether or not to be excited or scared. Looking down, her eyes found her unconscious friend. At once both reality and anger came crashing down upon her. Keeping her hand at the level of her eyes, she looked up angrily at the Phantom.

"Why did you do it?" she asked. "We weren't in your domain, nor were we harming you in any way, shape or form!"

The Phantom raised an eyebrow. Was she chastising him? He decided to throw his voice so that it whispered right into the woman's right ear. "Oh, but you are in my domain. And the Opera Ghost can do what he pleases here."

Anna's eyes narrowed. "Monsieur, your ventriloquism does not frighten me, and I also know that you are _ni ange, ni fantôme._ You are Eri... a man." She cursed herself for almost calling him by his name.

"What did you just call me?"

"A man. A human being."

The Phantom stared at the woman. "How do you know me?"

Anna shrugged. "You hear quite a bit of rumor running around the members of the corps de ballet in the Opera House. Since I never believed in specters and since you called yourself the Opera Ghost, I put two and two together. However most people who hear the story believe it to be fiction."

The sun was beginning to rise and the Phantom was faced with a dilemma. He could not kill the woman in front of him since one hand was at the level of her eyes while the other held a knife, so he decided to return to his lair.

As he began to melt back into the shadows, Anna panicked. "Monsieur, wait! Please, I need help..."

"I do not care Mademoiselle, it is not my problem. Nor will I ever care about someone who looks and dresses like a hermaphrodite." And with that he disappeared.

Anna was incredibly upset. The dawn came and Anna faced her most difficult situation yet: To take care of her unconscious friend and to buy new clothes so that they could fit into the society. Then she would have to deal with finding living quarters and a job.

Anna got down on her knees to see if her friend was still unconscious and to assess if there was any more injuries that he had sustained during his fall. As she checked his pupils, Nick gave a small groan and rolled over onto his side before opening his eyes. He looked around before turning back to Anna.

"What happened?" he asked. "Ugh, my head's killing me. It feels like it's been kicked y a horse." Nick slowly stood up on unsteady feet. "Last I remember is you yelling at me to get my hand up and a rope fell over my head." He took a step forward and began to sway. Anna was instantly at Nick's side helping him down the stairs of the Opera Populaire.

"Take it easy Nick, you hit your head hard just now... Stupid Phantom..." Anna mumbled.

"Phantom? Ana, are you sure _you_ didn't hit your head? It's a _story_ and even if he did exist, that was hundreds of year ago!"

Anna looked at her friend, before beginning to lead him towards a shop that displayed clothing in the front window. "Nick, when my machine short-circuited, it not only got the destination wrong but the year as well. At my guess we're in the year 1881," Anna sighed. "Oh Nick, what have I done?"

Nick was in shock. They had traveled through time? The Phantom was _real_? Nick's attention came back to the present as he and Anna stopped in front of a clothing shop.

"We're going to have to wait for it to open. It shouldn't be too long since the streets are filling up. Then we could go see about employment." Anna chuckled darkly, "Maybe we could get a job in the Paris Opera House."

A few hours later found Anna and Nick in clothes of the lower classes. As they walked by a bakery, Anna took out a few coins and handed them to Nick.

"Take these and get us some food, then meet me on the steps of the Paris Opera House in twenty minutes," Anna said as she walked into the crowd.

Nick walked into the bakery and bought the needed food that he and Anna were to eat for lunch. Making sure that he did not spend all the money so that they could either find a place to live or buy food for the next day. Slowly Nick made his way to the Opera House, carrying some bread and cheese.

When he arrived at the meeting place, Anna still had not come. Nick sat down on the steps and placed his bags of food beside him. Shortly thereafter, the front doors opened as Anna stepped out.

"Thank-you Madame, my brother and I owe you much." Anna quickly came down the stairs and stopped right in front of Nick. "I have amazing good news! I got us a job! We are now employees of the Paris Opera House!" Anna told her friend. "Now, please tell me that food is ours, because I'm starving!'

Nick chuckled as Anna sat down next to him and took a huge bite out of the bread that Nick had handed her.

"When do we start and what jobs did you get us?" Nick inquired.

"We start tomorrow morning. I'm part of the clean-up service. Since you've injured your hand, you'll be working in the stables. Once it's better, you'll be moved to either a stagehand or you'll actually be making some of the props and backgrounds for the operas," Anna replied.

The two were silent for a few minutes as they ate, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Nick spoke up.

"Anna, this must be a dream come true for you. I mean, you get to be in _the_ Opéra Garnier every day with the Phantom actually around and alive!"

Ana chewed thoughtfully before answering. "In a way it is. However, the fact that he has already tried to kill us kind of dampens my enthusiasm."

"Another quick question Anna. Do we know where we are going to live?"

A huge smile broke out on Anna's face. "Of course! We have our own separate rooms inside the Opera House."

Nick choked on his food and started coughing. "_In_ the Opera House? How did you manage _that_?"

"Quite simply actually. I told the woman that our house and all our worldly possessions had burned down in a fire. Unfortunately, our parents were killed in the fire and we were left alone in the world, with no jobs and no money."

"_Our_ parents?" Nick asked, looking slightly confused.

"Yes, our parents. I had to say that we're siblings and that our last name is Speranza. Our mother was French and convinced father to move to the French countryside. It was either that or we would have to be married. Which could get awkward since...well..." Anna broke off.

"Since we don't feel about each other that way," finished Nick. "Good thinking. I'm glad you did it since I could never have come up with a believable story."

They both finished their meal in comfortable silence. After she was done, Anna stood up and rushed the crumbs off her skirt.

"Well Nick, what do you say to trying to find our way around this Opera House?" she asked with a smile playing across her red lips.

Nick stood up and extended his uninjured hand towards Anna. "Why my dear sister, I'd be delighted to join you."

The two friends walked through the front doors together. The rest of the day was spent wandering through the majestic and labyrinth-like halls of the Opera House. As the evening drew to a close, Anna got changed and laid down in her bed. Her room was quite small and contained only a small, old wooden bed, and an old wooden vanity set. The bed was placed in the corner of the room and was separated by a makeshift-hanging curtain. Staring at the wooden walls, a small contented smile played across her face. Giving a tired sigh, Anna rolled over, closed her eyes and fell asleep while wondering what the next day would bring.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello, I'm back and I bring another chapter. My apologies for the long wait, I've had a thousand and one things go wrong since my last update. To all who reviewed thank-you.**

Chapter 3-New Job

It felt like she had just closed her eyes when an incessant knocking on her door woke Anna up. Grumbling, Anna rolled out of bed and stumbled past the curtain to open the door. There, she was met by a smiling Nick who walked into the room with a cheerful "Good morning". Nick handed Anna a warm croissant with butter.

"You better hurry up and eat that Anna. I ran into the head maid and she handed me a huge list of things you need to get done." Nick handed over a piece of paper, which Anna took with a big yawn. Looking down at her list she paused. _Clean and prepare the orchestra pit._

"Nick, what time is it?" Anna asked.

"Around 4:30 a.m."

"FOUR-THRITY! WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH AM I AWAKE AT FOUR-THIRTY?!" came Anna's cry.

"You're awake now, because you're supposed to be done cleaning the pit and stage by 8 o'clock for when rehearsals start. Now, I'll leave you so you can get changed and I'll be back in five minutes." With that Nick left the room.

Anna quickly ran around the room getting dressed and trying to tame her dark brown, shoulder-length wavy hair. She was just finishing off her croissant when Nick came back in carrying her cleaning supplies.

"This is what I'm told you will be using. Now, we both better get going. Being late on the first day of the job isn't exactly impressive. Good luck- and Anna…behave." Nick gave Anna a quick hug before he left, heading towards the stable.

Anna tied her hair back with a handkerchief, picked up her bucket, floor brush and rags and set off towards the stage. The hallways were completely deserted since it was not even 5 a.m. yet. So, after making sure she was completely alone, Anna started to hum. Once she reached the pit, she noticed that the area was still quite dark. Shrugging, Anna soon found a lamp, lit it and got to work. She was so engrossed in making sure that everything was spotless and in its proper place that she didn't notice that her humming had turned into singing. After she was done in the pit, she moved up to the stage and started to clean it too. Her singing continued and she was unaware that she was being watched.

"_-Lord let me find him. That I may see him, safe behind bars! I will never rest, 'till then! This I swear. This I swear by the stars!"_ The last note rang out around the auditorium just as Anna was finishing up cleaning the stage. "Oops," she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. However, what she heard next made her jump halfway in the air.

"That was beautiful! And what interesting lyrics! Excuse me Mademoiselle, did you make that up?"

Anna spun around to find a woman around her age with beautiful curly blond hair framing her face.

"N-No" Anna stuttered, self-conscious of the tact that she had been caught singing. "It comes from an Opera that I saw a while back in England."  
"Really? What was the name of the piece, I would very much like to have it performed here. Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Meg Giry," the girl said quickly.

Anna gave a smile, "Pleasure to meet you Meg, I'm Anna Speranza. No, sorry, the name escapes me at the moment. However, if I remember I'll tell you," Anna lied.

"I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?" Meg asked.

"Yes, this is my first day on the job. I'm the new maid."

"Maid? But that's such a waste! With a voice like yours, you should join the Chorus!" Meg exclaimed.

Anna's cheeks flushed. "Thank-you Meg, but no, I couldn't. I'm very self-conscious in front of people and I _really_ don't dance. I'd just make a fool of myself."

"Nonsense! Everyone can dance."

At that moment both girls heard a noise coming from backstage. As Meg and Anna looked, a thin, pale-looking girl with curly brown hair came into view. As soon as she saw the girl Meg's grin reappeared on her face.

"Christine!" Meg called Christine jumped before scurrying forward to her friend. As she approached, Anna noticed that Christine's innocent eyes held fear as they darted around the stage to check if they were alone. "Christine, come here! I'd like you to meet Anna. Anna, this is my best friend Christine."

"Meg," Christine began, "your mother sent me to look for you. You've missed breakfast and rehearsal for Il Muto are to begin today."

"Oh Christine, there's plenty of time before eight." Meg answered.

"Well, no, there's only 20 minutes. Come, we don't want to make your mother mad. Goodbye Anna." And with that Christine left the stage, dragging Meg behind her.

_Well that was rude_ thought Anna as she watched Christine go. _I mean, OK, the Phantom did abduct her, but it was her fault she took off his mask. Stop it Anna, you shouldn't think too ill of her, she's just incredibly naive..._

Anna's argument with herself was soon cut short however, as a lady with auburn hair and garish clothes came stalking onto the stage, followed by a hairdresser, as seamstress and a rather portly man. As soon as the woman saw Anna, she gave her a glare and stuck her nose into the air, continuing to walk without looking where she was going. Anna opened her mouth to tell the woman to watch out for the bucket, but it was too late. With a crash and a shriek, the woman tripped over the bucket, got the bottom of her dress wet and fell to the floor. Anna ran towards the front of the stage and skidded to a stop.

"Madame, I'm so sorry about that, I shouldn't have left it out her. Are you all right?" Anna asked.

The woman glared at her. "How-a dare-a you-a trip La Carlotta you-a little swine-a!" she shrieked.

Anna stared in disbelief. "Signora, I was down-stage, I didn't-"

"Yes, you-a did!"

Anna, who tended to be quite edgy when she was tired, was starting to get annoyed. "Signora, it's not my fault that you are unable to use your eyes!"

A slapping noise resounded across the auditorium. The imprint of a hand mark was appearing on Anna's left cheek. By now, their little fight had attracted a growing crowd. Anger licked the inside of Anna's stomach as she plunged her gaze back into Carlotta's. Suddenly Anna's voice reverberated throughout the auditorium like thunder.

"MA VA FANAVLEO STRONZA! TU E UNA DIAVOLA!"

Carlotta stood there, shock and rage expressing themselves plainly across her face. Anna felt herself being pulled from behind as somebody led her off the stage and into the foyer.

"Anna, you really shouldn't have done that. I thought I told you to behave."

Anna blinked and realised that it was Nick who had led her out. "Nick, I'm not going to allow myself to e insulted y a stuck-up, pretentious Prima Donna who sings like a cat who's being skinned alive!"

Nick chuckled before continuing in a soothing tone. "I understand Ana, really I do, but you don't want to e fired. What would you do then?"

"Attack Carlotta with a cheese grater," Anna mumbled causing Nick to burst out laughing, which in turn made a small smile appear on Anna's face.

"Anna?" a voice floated down the hall. Soon after Meg and Christine came into view, both of them carrying Anna's cleaning items.

"Meg! Christine! Thank-you for bringing me my supplies," Anna said as she made her way towards the girls.

"Anna, shat did you say to Carlotta? I've never seen her so mad," Meg asked.

"I told the toad to go to Hell and that she was a devil," Anna replied, causing Christine to gasp.

Nick made his way towards the girls. "Anna, I've got to go. I'll see you later. Promise me you'll stay out of trouble this time""

Anna sighed dramatically. "Oh Nick, you always were a spoil-sport. All right, fine. See you later." Anna gave Nick a hug before he left.

Anna turned back towards Meg and Christine to find Meg staring after Nick. "Well girls, thank-you again for returning my things, but I do believe that you have a rehearsal to attend. Plus, I have a whole list of things to finish before this evening."

Meg nodded before walking off. Christine however stayed where she was.

"Christine?" Anna asked.

"Anna... I want to apologise for my behaviour this morning. It really was quite rude of me."

Anna smiled understandingly. "Don't worry about it Christine, I'm sure you had a lot on your mind."

Christine smiled back appreciatively. "Thank-you. Meg and I are going out for dinner tonight, would you like to join us? You can even bring Nick along if you'd like."

Anna thought for a bit. "You know what, I think that that's a great idea. However, no-where too fancy. Nick and I don't have many clothes and they're all fairly simple."

Don't worry, you can wear what you have on right now. Meet us here at five o'clock." Christine waved goodbye before running off to return to rehearsals.

Ana sighed and muttered; "She's not that bad. Well better return to work. Note to self: Stay clear of the toad." Anna picked up her cleaning supplies and went back to work while humming ever so softly. What she hadn't noticed however, were two yellow eyes that had been watching her since her fight with Carlotta.


	5. Chapter 4

**I know I'm a horrible person for not having posted this chapter sooner. Please forgive me. Eyes Punjab lassoes warily I must admit, it's been a stressful past few months, trying to finish off school and maintain a decent average, then taking summer courses on top of practicing upwards of four hours of piano a day in preparation for my exam. Then I moved and it took forever for the cable company to hook me up with any sort of Internet access. However, I come with great news! I have the next chapter that I have worked on. And behold, I bear even greater news! I now have a beta that will start kicking my behind so that I can update more often and to help cut down on my horrible grammar mistakes! Without further ado, Mesdames et Monsieurs, I present to you the long awaited chapter!**

**Chapter 4 – An Idea **

He had been following his Angel since the morning as she tried to maintain her daily schedule. He was still fuming over the two idiot managers who had refused to cast Christine in her rightful role as Countess when he overheard Mme. Giry asking Christine to go find her daughter. Though Meg was a talented dancer, the girl tended to be far _too_ inquisitive for his liking. Seeing as it was still too early for the little ballet girl to get into any mischief, he found himself wondering what she could be up to and went to find her before she could do anything to damage his Opera House. Finding lights coming from the stage, the Phantom figured that Meg would be discovered there. As he made his way quickly through the deserted flies, two female voices drifted up towards him.

"Maid? But that's such a waste! With a voice like yours, you should join the chorus!"

The Phantom recognized Meg's voice and scowled disapprovingly. His chorus was already dismal; he didn't need some ignorant little chit making it even worse.

"Thank-you Meg, but no, I couldn't. I'm very self-conscious in front of people and I _really_ don't dance. I'd just make a fool of myself."

_Well at least the girl has some sense_, thought the Phantom. However, it was the girl's voice that puzzled him. It was new to the Opera House, but he was certain he had heard it before and fairly recently as well. This perplexed him greatly, since he had not left the Opera House within the past few months. Wishing to figure out to whom the new voice belonged to, he snuck deeper into the shadows and prepared to descend to one of the lower flies. While making his way down one of the ropes, he froze midway when his Angel appeared on stage. Her fear filled face and movements pained his heart while also angering him. If she hadn't given to her curiosity, his face would have remained a mystery and he would not have become angry. She would have continued to think him beautiful and learned to love him, in spite of his ghastly appearance. The first step of his plan to have Christine as his wife had turned out to be a complete and utter disaster all because of that blasted female curiosity.

So lost was he in his train of thought that he realized that his Angel had left with Meg. Deciding to watch over her for a little longer before inspecting the rest of his palace, the Phantom slowly started to make his way back up the rope. Once back on the catwalk however, he was stopped in mid-step by the sound of a large crash. Cursing all the incompetent fools that worked in his Opera House, he flew down through the flies before stopping to crouch on top of a large dusty set piece that kept him invisible in the surrounding darkness. If anything had been broken, whoever was responsible would find themselves on the wrong end of his Punjab lasso. What he saw however nearly caused him to smirk. There was La Carlotta, sprawled across the stage, her gaudy apparel wet from an overturned bucket and a maid was at her side apologizing. As per usual, the Prima Donna began to throw a full out fit, but what caught the Phantom by surprise was the maid's subsequent reaction. Unlike most of the sniveling people who would grovel for forgiveness, this maid stood her ground. Again, the sense of familiarity pricked at the back of the Phantom's mind as he watched the scene unfold. The number of people that was attracted by the argument had grown, forcing the Phantom to change his location to a deeper and darker shadow and to pull his fedora lower over his mask so as to avoid detection.

As the slapping sound resounded throughout the theater, he noticed a young man step close behind the maid. The young man's brown eyes surveyed the scene between the maid and La Carlotta with exasperation. With an astounding volume, the maid turned on La Carlotta and bellowed.

"Ma VA FANAVLEO STRONZA! TU ES UNA DIAVOLA!"

Not only was the Phantom shocked to hear someone curse in Italian, he was doubly shocked by the fact that it came from a female. Suddenly, like a wave crashing onto the rocks, recognition struck him. It was the same girl from the night before whom he had left on the steps with her unconscious friend. Recognizing the young man behind her as the boy he had tried to kill, he was slightly disappointed that his attack had not caused more damage. However, the cast on the boy's hand intrigued him. The Phantom knew that he was not responsible for the broken hand and he wanted to know what job the invalid could accomplish with only one hand_. Good God this place is going to the dogs!_

Deciding to follow the new members of his Opera House, the Phantom snuck behind them, monitoring their progress as they made their way to the main foyer.

"Anna, you really shouldn't have done that. I thought I told you to behave."

The voice of the boy floated towards him. So the girl's name was Anna.

"Nick, I'm not going to allow myself to be insulted by a stuck-up, full of herself Prima Donna who sings like a cat that's being skinned alive!"

The Phantom tilted his head to the side. The girl did not seem as dimwitted as the managers of the Opera House.

"I understand Anna, really I do, but you don't want to be fired. What would you do then?"

"Attack Carlotta with a cheese grater."  
The Phantom's eyes went wide and his swollen lips turned upward in a twisted sneer as the image of Carlotta running way as Anna chased her waving a cheese grater popped into his head.

"Anna?"

The Phantom stayed deathly still as both Meg and Christine came into view. He didn't want to be found, nor did he want Christine to suspect that he was there watching.

It was Meg who spoke first. "Anna, what did you say to Carlotta? I've never seen her so mad."

"I told the toad to go to Hell and that she was a devil."

The sentence struck the Phantom. _The toad…_ That was exactly what Carlotta was and now he had an idea on how to get his revenge. Oh, those stupid managers would regret the day they place Carlotta in the role of Countess. He would sure the entire audience knew just how much Carlotta's voice resembled that of a toad. Turning around, he stalked silently down through his secret passageways. He had to make a quick stop to avoid being detected when he heard the gruff voice of Joseph Buquet.

"That's Anna's a feisty one. I've never seen anyone quite like her. Not too bad on the eyes either. She'd be an interesting catch."

The Phantom grimace at the possible thoughts that were making there way through that man's head. Over the course of the past five years, Buquet had made it a goal to achieve many _conquests_. As the Phantom waited in the shadows, he fingered his lasso, tempted to throw it and rid the human race of one of it's less savory characters. However Buquet was walking away from him and the Phantom had too many plans to put into action to be bothered with chasing an unscrupulous stagehand around the Opera House. Once he was alone again, the Phantom continued to make his way down to his lair. As soon as he reached his destination, he threw off both cloak and fedora and proceeded to his laboratory. Taking several questionable ingredients off the shelf, he proceeded to light a candle beside a small pewter pot. Opening the first jar of ingredients, he held it to his partially masked nose to take a quick sniff. Deeming that the ingredient was indeed fresh, he threw half the container into the pot. Cackling madly, he threw different ingredients as well as copious amount of an unidentifiable pink liquid into the pot in front of him. His potion would take a few hours to make, however it had to age several weeks before it was potent enough for the desired effect. The Phantom lit a fire under his pewter pot and began stirring the ingredients so that they all blended together; creating a light pink, clear solution. Taking it off the fire, the Phantom poured his potion into a crystal bowl which he then place on one of his shelves so that it could age undisturbed. Once this was done, he made his way over to his organ, sat down and proceeded to compose a new piece for the rest of the day.


End file.
